Paper Crane
by OoMidnight SunoO
Summary: Hotaru has spent almost her whole life in and out of the hospital due to her heart problems....but can Hotaru use whats left of her strength to help her new friend Maki? Full summary inside, I'm sorry this sucks so bad...


Hello all! I know, I know. "What the Eff are you doing here?! Update _My Love Story_!!!" And I will!!! But this was already done so....yeah...

well I wrote this for my creative writing class. It still has Hotaru in it, just in a real life setting. She has a heart condition (Spoiler? :O) and she has been in the hospital for months trying to get treatment. Well, one day a little girl named Maki come to the hospital with the same heart problems as Hotaru. Hotaru, off scene, then gives up her place in line for her heart surgery to give it to the younger Maki, however Maki is afraid and so this focuses on Maki's surgery day and what Hotaru does to help Maki.

Okay! Enjoy~!

Paper Crane

_I had never given much thought to how I would die…But…dying_

_in place of a loved one seems like a good way to go…_

The bright mid-day sun shines through the pale blue transparent curtains on the third story of Green hills hospital. A white room, holding only two beds placed in the center of the room, separated by a pale blue curtain.

A girl, about seventeen with bright blue eyes, long black hair and bangs framing either side of her face, sits upright in the bed with a lime green piece of paper in her lap. Clad in pale pink pajamas and a sweater draped neatly around her shoulders, she carefully folds the paper. Bending it, creasing it and flipping over now and again, the piece of folded paper now begins to take form.

With one final fold, the girl in the bed pulls the form up to her lips and blows air into its underbelly. The form fills with air and the body puffs up and the girl, Hotaru, folds down its top-most points in the form of wings. The folded paper had taken the form of a bird. As she balances the delicate figure in the palm of her hand, a smaller, younger girl cranes her neck over the edge of the bed, straining to see the finished product. The younger had to be no older than six with auburn hair and a bright red ribbon tied under her hair and tied into a neat bow atop of her head.

Hotaru stretches her hand down to the younger girl, Maki, so that she can see. At the sight of the lime green crane balancing in Hotaru's hand, Maki's eyes light up and a huge smile covers her face.

"Oh wow! It's so pretty!" Maki exclaims

"Here, take it. It's for good luck on your surgery this Friday"

Maki's eyes lower and her smile disappeared as she grasps the small crane to her chest, tears welling up in her eyes. Maki climbs her way up onto the bed with Hotaru and raises her hand to her face to whip away the tears.

"I don't want to go to surgery…"

Maki is only six years old and is already too familiar with life in a hospital. Both Maki and Hotaru were admitted to this hospital two years ago for the same heart problems, but for Maki there is hope. Her surgery on Friday will greatly increase her chance of survival and will allow her to lead a normal carefree life. As for Hotaru, she's one hearts attack away from death's door.

Hotaru leans forward to Maki and smiles

"Have you ever heard the story of the princess who folded a thousand cranes?"

Maki shakes her head no and comes closer to Hotaru, clearly interested in her story.

"Well once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess. In fact, she was so beautiful that her father, the Emperor, had her locked away in a tower so that no man would ever see her beauty. The princess was very sad and lonely, until one day a man from the Emperor's guard came to seek out the princess, wishing to witness her beauty for himself. This was the first friend the princess had ever had "Come back tomorrow" she said "I'll be waiting" and so the very next day the man came to visit the princess. Day after day he showed up, until one day the man did not come. He had been called off the fight for the Emperor. Worried for her new friend, the princess cried, worrying that she would never be able to see him again. Until, she remembered and old legend she had heard. "Fold a thousand cranes, and a wish you shall be granted" so for two days and two nights, without rest, the princess folded crane after crane, each time wishing for the protection of her friend. On the 1000th crane the princess wished her hardest for the protection of her friend and something amazing happened. As she held the crane to her heart, its wings began to flutter. Soon, all of the cranes she had worked so hard to fold were taking flight! The thousand cranes flew out of the princess's window and through the sky until they reached her friend. The cranes flew around the man and they acted as his shield. The cranes were protecting him and neither arrow nor sword could pierce the cranes. Sure enough the man had returned to the princess safe and unharmed, just what the princess had wished for"

Maki's eyes light up at Hotaru's story and her smile returns once more.

"So if someone folds a thousand cranes they get a wish?" she questioned

"That's right, and the best way to make sure that your wish comes true, is to give something up. So it's considered good luck if you lose something just before you make your wish"

"Really? Hmmm…" Cutely resting her hand on her chin, Maki assumed a thinking position. Hotaru let out a little chuckle.

"Say Hotaru-Oneesan*…"

"Yes, what is it Maki-chan**?"

"Could we make a thousand cranes? Could we make them for my surgery on Friday so that we can get a wish?"

"Hmmm…one-thousand cranes in about two and half days….well, I guess if we got started now we could make just it in time for your surgery Maki-chan!"

Maki beams and throws her arms up in the air and cheers

"Yaaaaaaay!" Maki cheered and Hotaru laughed with her

"Okay, now Maki-san, go find the Nurse and ask her to give you some _origami_ paper"

"Or-rah-gah-me?" she struggles to pronounce the word and Hotaru lets out a little giggle

"Yes Maki-chan! Now go! Hurry so we can get started!"

"Okay!"

Maki leapt off the bed and dashed out of Hotaru's room and down the hall to find a nurse with the special paper, leaving Hotaru, alone in her room. She turned her head to look out of the large window and let out a small sigh.

"I wonder when it will be my turn? I hope I can make it until then…"

Suddenly, Maki dashed back into the room with arms full of brightly colored and patterned paper.

"Okay! Hotaru- Oneesan, can we start now?"

Hotaru is snapped out of her thoughts and turns with a calm smile to Maki

"Sure"

And so it began. The folding of a thousand cranes but two girls. Not by an army or a village, but by just two girls that honestly had nothing better to do other than wait for an organ donor.

So who better than them to attempt such a task? The folding of a thousand cranes, it seemed almost foolish. All of this work for only a mere wish, a thing that was the epitome fantasy in this world…

….

Fold, Crease, Flip. Fold Crease, Flip. Fold, Crease, Flip. Fold Crease, Flip.

For two days and about half a night the two girls, Hotaru and Maki, folded, creased, and flipped 997 cranes. And it showed. Band aids covered almost all of their fingers and hundreds of cranes lay sprawled out around the room. Blue ones, red ones, and every pattern you could think of was reflected in these cranes. Maki, folding the 997TH crane, and Hotaru, creasing the 998TH crane stopped and Hotaru looked over at Maki.

"Okay Maki-chan, are you ready for the good part?"

Maki got her crane caught up to Hotaru's and she grinned

"Yeah!"

"Okay, now as you fold the last piece Maki-chan, that's when you make your wish, okay?"

Maki paused for a moment and then turned to Hotaru, a concerned look on her face

"_My_ wish? Don't you get one too?"

"Ah, well…you need the wish more than I do Maki-chan…"

"No! You helped to! You should get a wish too!"

Hotaru let out, knowing she had been beaten.

"Alright Maki-chan. I'll make a wish too…"

They each raised their cranes up to their hearts and closed their eyes, and each wished for the same thing.

"_I wish for my surgery to well!"_

"_I wish for Maki's surgery to go well…"_

Maki was the first to open her eyes. She then quickly jerked up her head and looked around the room, waiting for the magic to happen.

"Awww! Oneesan! Nothing happened!" Pouting, Maki turned to Hotaru who just smiled and laughed.

"Don't worry Maki-chan, it'll work. Tell you what, we still have a little while before your surgery, why don't you rest up? Take a nap and Ill string the cranes so that way you can hang them up"

Maki pouted a little more before agreeing with her. Resting her arms on the edge of Hotaru's bed and her head on her arms, Maki quickly fell asleep. Hotaru then began to tie off the cranes to a large piece of string, until something caught Hotaru's eye. It was Maki's bright ribbon, tying off a single piece of her hair. Hotaru thought and smiled as she reached for the small girls ribbon…

….

"Oneesan! Oneesan! I can't find my ribbon!"

Maki made her way around the room. Turning things over and looking under things, but to avail. She couldn't find her ribbon. Hotaru, watching her from her bed, smiles at her"

"Maki, don't you remember the story?"

"Huh?" Maki paused, trotted over to Hotaru and leaned on the edge of her bed.

"If you lose something precious it means that your wish will come true"

Maki thought and then she beamed

"Yeah! That's right! I lost my ribbon so now my surgery will go okay today! But…did I lose enough?"

Such an adult question for such a small child. Taken back Hotaru shifted her legs out from under her covers and sat on the edge of her bed, keeping one hand on the sweater that was draped around her shoulders. With her free hand she patted little Maki on her head.

"Of course you did Maki, now come on. I'll walk with to your operating room okay?"

"Okay…but don't forget the cranes!"

Hotaru chuckled and leaned over to the opposite edge of her bed. She pulled up a long string and tied to it were a thousand cranes, the whole display resembling a brightly colored beehive. Hotaru showed Maki and she smiled ear to ear. Hotaru stood; wobbling a little she braced herself on a nearby chair, but quickly regained her balance. With her string of cranes in one hand she took her free hand and placed something into the front pocket of her hospital pajamas. She then reached for Maki who quickly took her hand and lead her down the hall.

Maki pulled Hotaru down the hall, smiling and laughing the whole way to her operating room.

When they finally reached their desired room, Maki and Hotaru were stopped by a nurse.

"Hi there, are you Miss Maki?" The kind nurse asked

Retreating a little behind Hotaru's leg she nodded. The nurse then stretched her hand out to Maki, who clung tight to Hotaru's hand.

"Would you come with me please?"

"Go ahead Maki; the nurse will take good care of you. And you need me, I'll be here okay? I'll wait right outside of this room okay?"

Hotaru smiled and Maki slowly creped out from behind Hotaru's leg and reluctantly let go of Hotaru's hand and the nurses'.

"You'll be here?" Maki asked

"I'll be right here, and when you come out I'll help you look for your ribbon"

"Okay…"

Maki turned with the nurse and took only a few steps before Maki dropped the nurse hand and ran back to Hotaru, wrapping her little arms around her legs.

"Promise you'll be here when I get back!" Her voice breaking as tears welled up in her eyes.

Hotaru bent down, resting the beehive of cranes on the ground and she hugged Maki back.

"I promise I'll be here Maki"

She hugged the little girl tighter before finally letting go. Hotaru lead her back to the nurse and with a little boost of confidence Maki steps into her operating room.

Watching from the window in the door, Hotaru sees Maki hand the surgeon the large stack of cranes. After a few words are exchanged, the doctor takes the string and hangs up the colorful beehive of cranes in a near corner of the operating room.

The nurse returned shortly to stand next to Hotaru and they both shared a laugh at the sight of Maki handing the doctor the paper cranes. Soon they were both watching from the window. Little Maki was lying down on the operating table with a plastic mask covering her nose and mouth. As the doctors prepared machines around her, pushing buttons and checking cords, Maki's eyes closed. And soon, she was fast asleep, ready for her surgery.

Outside of the operating room door, Hotaru reaches into the front pocket of her shirt and pulls out a red ribbon. She grips it tightly in her hand, holding close it to her heart. Through her chest she can feel her heart beating.

"_Maki…please don't be scared…you gave something up remember?"_

"Hotaru would you like me to walk you back to room? It's not good for you to be up and about like this…if you push yourself to hard-"

"No, I want to stay. I want to stay and watch Maki-chan"

_"At least in your eyes Maki-chan you gave something up…but even if you never lost anything…."_

"Please, Miss Hotaru, you need to get back to your room"

_"I still believe…"_

"Miss Hotaru!"

_"That your wish…will come true…"_

Pain shot through Hotaru and she pulled at the shirt covering her heart. She gritted her teeth and her knees buckled under her. Her heart raced in her chest as her vision blurred and she collapsed to the ground.

"Ma-Maki-chan…" was all she could manage in a hushed whisper

"Doctor! Doctor it's happened! Hotaru's-!!!!"

She could hear voices, but her world was black. As she lay there on the cold ground her heart did not rest. Faster and faster it raced, pounding in her chest. Until…her breathing slowed and heart followed it. Her racing heart slowed to a stop. The doctors were at her side in a split second trying to revive her, but she didn't move. She could still hear the voices, but they slowly distanced themselves from here. As if she were moving farther away.

_"Maki-chan…I'm sorry, but I don't think I'll be here when you come out of your surgery…but at least now we know…that your wish….will come true…"_

Slowly her eyes closed, but instead of a look of pain, a peaceful look covered her face. Content.

_I had never given much thought to how I would die…But…dying_

_in place of a loved one seems like a good way to go…_

*tears* I'm sorry Hotaru! I didn't mean to kill you!!! I killed my own brain child!!!

At least it was for the greater good, I got an A on the project *sniff*

Well that's paper crane, please leave a comment and let me know what you think!And remember that the events that occurred in this story don't connect to my other story_ My Love Story _Okay? So, Read this in the mean time and MLS will up and running in no time! And after you read this, why not visit my Deaviantart account? I have a drawing of Hotaru up in chibi form so now you can see what I envisioned her to look ^^

so head on over to and try to fing me! I'm OoEmeraldButterflyoO okay? if not, I'm sure you could google my name "on deviantart" or something~!

Okay, that's it! Thanks for reading!


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